Two

Every dreams of being rich and famous now and then. You see a magazine in line at the checkout, or see a story on the news about another celebrity or socialite, whether making huge amounts of money and spectacularly and publicly running their lives. And if you're like the rest of the world, you probably feel a nagging desire to experience the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. But, as many people have often said, fame often isn't all it's cracked up to be.

He leaned of his seat, staring at the screen of his laptop, he was reading an article and he didn't like it, especially with the big picture of his 5 year old daughter attached with a caption that says, ‘FAYE FERNANDEZ, THE LITTLE PRINCESS, A MISTAKE OR DAMAGE CONTROL?’

His jaw clenched and decided it wasn't worth finishing the article, he gritted his teeth, snapped his fingers and his secretary stepped forward. “Ruin whoever posted this piece of crap.”

His secretary bowed. “Yes, Sir.” She pulled her note and glanced at him. “Mr. Fernandez, Miss Torres left a message for you, she wanted to know about dinner tonight.”

“I'll call her later.” He dismissed then took his phone and dialed an overly familiar number, it was answered after the fourth ring, he smiled. “How's my princess, today?”

There was a terribly lively high pitched squeal on the other line that Julian winced a little but then grinned broadly. “Daddy! Daddy! Today so fuun! I met lots of frens and Teacher Maia!" The little girly pitch continued bubbled by giggles. “Faye gots lot of friends! You s-should bring me to s-school next time coz daddies bring baby girls to s-school!”

Julian's heart squeezed. “Yeah? Can daddy met Faye's new friends too?”

“A-an teacher Maia! And Rosie a-and J-j-jennie and lots of more!”

He smiled as he cradled his phone in his hand and pressed closer to his ear, as if the action will bring him closer to Faye. “Daddy will love to, baby.”

“Cool! I mi-miss you, daddy!”

He swallowed, his Faye is such a sweet girl and it saddens him that he can't give her the whole world or the whole happy family every kids need. His daughter deserves so much more, better than what he and Sandra could give. Such a young age and already in the lime light and center of everyone's attention. She can't play and make friends with anyone like a normal child should be. And there's an issue of his daughter's stuttering, she just learned to string words a year ago, the doctor had clarified that does happen, she wasn't a slow leaner but she wasn't able to speak until she was 4 year old. It wasn't a problem, he loves his daughter no matter what, it was the people around them, they think something is wrong with her.

“I miss you too, baby." He whispered. “What are you doing today?”

“I'm gon learn French today. I dunna want to." She whined and he can imagine her pout and scrunched up nose. Julian chuckled at her cuteness.

“Then tell your mommy you don't want to.” She made a whining noise that could equal to shrieking. “Daddy! Mommy said I ave t-to...”

His eyes narrowed. “I'll talk to your mom, don't worry sweetie.”

She squealed again, really, for a five year old girl his daughter is too energetic and bright for her own good. “Mom said Faye sh-sh-shh-should be p-perfect!” He opened his mouth to speak but she already beat him. “Faye wants to go to picnic w-with mommy and daddy.”

Wistful thinking. “How about daddy picking you up for a play date and picnic?”

“With mommy?”

She sounded so eager and Julian can only wince. They never really had that, his daughter never experienced having both her parents with her at the same day, in one place no less. He and Sandra avoided it so much, none of them wanted to pretend they are any close to being civil with each other in front of their daughter. Well, on thing he agreed with Sandra.

Their status robbed them their privacy, he sometimes wonder when the hell did they became such amusing public figures. They were no celebrities. Julian inwardly scowled at the thought, Sandra was widely known as one of the most powerful socialite there is, a true picture of beauty and power, a supposed role model where every girl wanted to be just like her while he, Julian Fernandez was the most powerful businessman of his generation and even more to those who are older than him, where he feed thousands of families on daily basis.

“Daddy wants to play with you alone because he misses his princess so much too.”

Her voice was small. “N-no mommy then.”

“Mommy could be busy.” He pointed out and Faye grumbled. “I haven't seen m-my mommy since last... last m-month... s-she goes before I wake up a-and home when F-f-faye is sleeping.”

Julian's jaw clenched. What the hell was Sandra doing?

**********

The maids took her purse and jacket the moment she entered her home. “Good evening, Miss Sandra.”

“Faye?”

“She's already asleep by 8:30..."

Sandra glanced at her wrist watch. 01:48 AM. “What are her classes for tomorrow?”

One of the maids stepped forward. “By morning she will have to go to school exactly eight am until eleven, then by the afternoon Miss Faye will have swimming class for two hours, after that she will attend her English lesson for an hour and then she will have her dance lessons, her piano teacher wants to extend their one hour class into two–"

Sandra raised her hand and the maid stopped talking, she tilted her head. “Cancel her classes by the afternoon... get her one of those ballerina costumes. In pink." She started walking down the hall. “Get her one of those angel costumes too in case someone has the same ballerina costumes as hers.” She tilted her head, frowning but she didn't stop walking. “We're going to a charity event tomorrow. It's one of those costume parties for kids.”

The maids bowed. “Yes, Miss Sandra.”

Sandra opened the door and quietly slid inside Faye's room. She let out a sigh as she walked towards Faye's princess bed where her daughter was sleeping comfortably. Sitting at the edge of the bed, she kissef Faye's forehead and caressed her cheeks. Sandra smiled as she stared at Faye. Her hair was long and a little wavy; she got her father's deep brown eyes and nose. And when her little Faye smiles, everything was bright. Sandra admit, she has a lot of things to regret but Faye isn't one of them. Never.

“He can't take away you from me...” She murmured.

**********

Harsh whispers and squeals reverberated followed by flashes of the cameras that got him gritting his teeth; Julian pulled his tie to loosen a bit, head straight as he ealked through the hallway ignoring everything around him. This people knew so much than to risk going near him, he wasn't like Sandra who had bodyguards tailing after her, he was a business man and wasn't thrilled into public's attention and thank God they respect that. But a man just doesn't get everything he wants right? His privacy is said to be long gone but he's doing just fine keeping and protecting his private life. He chose little bits of his life to be seen by the public.

He does everything he could to keep his business and private life private no matter how much this people invades his privacy. He wanted to protect the close people around him but sadly, it was impossible to protect the only one he truly wanted to protect from all this sharks, his daughter.

The door at the end of the hallway opened and kids burst out, loud and laughing and running and squealing. He stopped and his eyes beamed as he walked.

The little girl with pigtails came out hopping and Julian's heart pounded; she was a ball of sunshine, all smiles and innocence and she looked like the kid version of her mother, aside from her eyes and nose that she took after him, Faye was everything of Sandra. Julian hoped the resemblance ends there, he doesn't want his daughter to have the same attitude and thinking as her mother.

The girl's nose scrunched up as her babysitter talked to her and Julian can only smile broadly and decided it's time to interrupt. When Faye turned her head and she saw him, her eyes widen and a huge smile appeared on her cute face. She pulled her hand away from her babysitter and run towards Julian, again with that loud squealling voice of hers. He laughed and crouched then opened his arms to catch his daughter.

“Dad!"

He embraced her and kissed her head as he stood up with his daughter on his arms. “Surprised?”

She beamed. “Very!”

“How's school?”

“Fun!” She giggled and Julian laughed when she pinched his cheeks, the cameras are still flashing but Julian ignored them.

The babysitter rushed towards them and bowed at him. “Mr. Fernandez.”

“I'll take her from here, I'll take her home by five." He adjusted Faye on his arms with a broad smile then he turned to his daughter. “Want to watch movie with dad?”

Faye squealed and agreed. The babysitter looked stricken. “But Mr. Fernandez! Miss Sandra had instructed that Little Faye must be home by lunch so she could prepare for her– Mr. Fernandez!” She rushed after him with fast wide steps as the father of Faye and worst enemy of her boss walked grandly with Faye on his arms.

“Please! Miss Sandra is going to get mad! It's a charity event for homeless kids and Miss Sandra is going to give her speech! Mr. Fernandez! Faye needs to be there... please understand!” She hurried but Mr. Fernandez and Faye seems to be oblivious because they were laughing together.”

Oh no... oh no...

The people around them followed but when they reached the main gate, security guards of the school appeared and stopped the mob and the babysitter from following, there was a black car that stopped and Mr. Fernandez put Faye on the ground and let her ride in front sit before rounding on the driver's side and drove off.

As Julian slide inside the driver's seat he turned to his daughter and beamed, he reached for the seat belt and made sure it's secure. “So, where do you want to go, sweetheart?”

Faye grinned. “Want i-ice cream.”

He nodded as he started to drive. “We need to eat healthy lunch first before ice cream.”

Faye nodded eagerly. “D-da-daddy... F-faye is supposed to-to learrrn p-pp-piano t-today but sud-suddenly need t-t-to wear b-ballerina dred-d-dress today!" She dragged her words like a slur and stutter into it. Julian's held the wheel tighter, it was so hard hearing his baby girl this way.

He glanced at her and smiled. “Yeah but Faye prefer to play and eat, no?”

“Faye h-hates st-study b-because te-teachers g-get mad s-s-so easy!”

His eyes narrowed. “They get mad at you?”

She scrunched up her nose, upset. “Calls Faye s-s-stu-stupi-pid.”

He gritted his teeth. Temper in check he breathed. “Does your mom know?”

She mumbled and played with her hair. “Dunno.”

**********

“Sandra, its normal to for Julian to be concerned... Faye is his daughter too and besides I really can't blame him if he got pissed after the last stunt your father pulled on him.”

Sandra rolled her eyes and turned to Shawn, she scrunched up her nose. “What are you eating?”

He blinked and glanced down at his plate. “Tacos.”

She turned away from him in disgust. “Shawn, tacos are the sluts of food world. Pretty much everything imaginable is jammed into them.”

He smirked lazily. “I don't mind.”

Sandra shook her head and turned to the glass wall, crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowed. Julian is really determined, he really wants to take away Faye from her. She just received a call from her lawyer stating that Julian's lawyer had contacted him about it, setting a date for a meeting and some. He was planning to do it quietly, away from the prying eyes and hungry ears. He wants Faye full custody and leave Sandra a one day visitation rights.

Sandra sure he can do it... in his dreams. Principles, directness, legality and fairness are Julian's strong points, a reason why he was such a good business man in such a young age. He's more of a diplomat to put it simply. People favor him because of his ability and the way he showed how perfect he is despite his imperfections. ‘The man who learned from his mistake’. That's what the media often wrote about him, next to his title as the business tycoon. It was stupid, as if they all had forgotten what he did, five years ago, he was about to marry her own mother, he was the reason why her father's family was ruined.

Sandra wondered once, how the hell she get herself into this mess. She would laugh at her own thought fully knowing why, opposite to Julian Fernandez who's been bad turned good and wonderful Mr. Perfect, Sandra is a devil in disguise.

“Julian is actually a very good father to Faye, I think everything is perfect, his relationship with Faye I mean. The two of them are really close together. He's just ticked about the fact that you don't spend enough time with Faye, it worries him that Faye is getting less and less what she deserves from you.”

Sandra glanced back at Shawn who immediately stopped, he sat straight and put away his plate. He swallowed hard. “I'm just saying.”

Shawn Darby who had been her best friend for years, he was almost a little brother to her. It didn't hurt that he was related to Julian Fernandez himself, his first cousin to be precise. But Shawn has his fair share of evilness too, he was just being

discreet. Sandra stepped away from the glass wall and walked towards her desk and leaned on her desk, in front of Shawn. “He wants my father's company to be out of his way.”

“It's business, he's competitive.”

“He wants to take my daughter away from me because he thinks I'm not a good mother.”

Shawn rolled his eyes dramatically. “You're way better than Miss Sarah.”

“Julian wants to take down my father, for some reason, he's set into ruining my father's company and taking Faye away... if he truly wanted this, he could have a long time ago but why did he wait for five years?”

“Well...” He cleared his throat. “To be quite frank with you Sandra, if I were in Julian's shoes and you did that thing to me five years ago, I would strive my damnest to get back at you too. I mean, you didn't only ruin his life but you put a hole into our grandfather's heart, it was heartbreaking to see our granpa in comma for months after that heart attack. Also, the one you pulled on him put a dent not only in his reputation but to our family's name. We only didn't take a huge financial hit but the name shaming was just as heartbreaking... To be called disrespectful and asshole and...” He quickly added. “...a pig... those nicknames aren't really an ego booster.”

She tilted her head and leaned so she could trace a line on his throat with her finger nails, he swallowed again, hard. Sandra smiled sweetly, patting his cheeks as she stood up straight. “Thank you for your honesty, Shawn.”

He nodded consentingly. “I know, I'm truly appreciated.” Then he stood up and hugged her. “Hey, don't think so much about it, Julian doesn't want to get back at you for sure, okay maybe a little but he's not that bad, he could be an ass but always remember his only concern is Faye. He only has different parenting views as you do. And that rift between your dad and him? It's a little personal but more on competition, it's business you know how it works.” He kissed her in the cheeks as he stepped away from her.

Sandra smiled. “I really hate your cousin.”

Shawn chuckled. “He hates you too and me and everyone else associated with you.” They both laugh at it.

Suddenly her phone rang and Sandra answer it. “Yes?” She glanced at her wrist watch. “We have to go by 2:00 pm, make sure Faye is alr–” Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?"

Shawn watched her cautiously as she shut her eyes close and swallowed hard, obviously she was trying to control her temper, when she spoke again it was low and dangerous and got Shawn swallowing hard.

“What exactly happened?”